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Berenstain Bears
The Berenstain Bears are a fictional family of anthropomorphic Grizzly bears created by Stan and Jan Berenstain in a series of very popular Children's literature. The popularity of the books subsequently spawned numerous child-friendly television shows and computer games. The family consists of Papa Bear, the woodworker father; Mama Bear, his wife; and their three children: Brother Bear, Sister Bear, and Honey Bear. The series is are set in Bear Country, a society composed entirely of bears. Story lines typically follow the Bear family as they deal with topics relevant to both children and parents. Inspiration The inspiration for the characters came when the Berenstains' sons, Leo and Mike, were learning to read, and their parents decided to try their hands at creating children's books themselves. This book became The Big Honey Hunt, which was published in 1962 by Dr. Seuss's Beginner Books imprint.The Berenstain Bears Characters Main characters The bear family in The Big Honey Hunt consisted of Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and son Small Bear. They began their own line of books about the bears in 1974 with The Berenstain Bears' New Baby, which introduced daughter Sister Bear to the family and changed Small Bear's name to Brother Bear. In 2000, baby sister Honey was introduced with The Berenstain Bears and Baby Makes Five, after having dealt with Mama Bear's pregnancy in the previous book The Birds, the Bees, and the Berenstain Bears. Between the two books, there was a contest for readers to name the baby. Supporting characters *'Too-Tall Grizzly', the school bully. He works with Brother nicely sometimes although he thinks Halloween can be fun when he plays tricks on "Witter Jones" and other people. *'Queenie McBear', Too-Tall's on-and-off girlfriend and friend of Brother and Sister. Although originally a bully to Sister, she is now friendly to all the cubs at school. She is also the most flirtatious of all the cubs. *'Fred Bear', Brother and Sister's cousin and friend, frequently known as Cousin Freddie. His father and Papa Bear are brothers. *'Lizzy Bruin', One of Sister's best friends *'Bonnie Brown', Originally introduced in the Big Chapter Book series, she is a part-time model who attends Bear Country School and becomes friends with Brother and Sister and at times the love interest of Brother's and vice versa. A very caring and sweet cub. *'Farmer Ben', local farmer, neighbor, and family friend. *'Grizzly Gramps and Gran', Papa Bear's parents *'Professor Actual Factual', The community intellectual, always pictured as slim and bespectacled. A good friend of Brother and Sister, he is also the purveyor and owner of the Bearsonian Institution, Bear Country's museum. *'Babs Bruno', the daughter of Beartown's police chief, Chief Bruno. A feminist and aspiring poet, she is good friends with Queenie and Bertha. She also occasionally hangs out with Sister and Bonnie. *'Teacher Bob', the third-grade teacher in Bear Country School. Easygoing but firm. Most of the main characters are in his class. *'Teacher Jane', the first-grade teacher in Bear Country School. Also the Bear Scouts' troop leader. Sister and Lizzy are in her class. Very gentle and soft-spoken. *'Mrs Smith' a teacher who holds the Talent show in the poem book "The Berenstain bears and the talent show" *'Dr. Bearson' a Dentist whom Sister thinks will yank out her tooth with Yankers because of a Sarcastic Joke by Brother. Brother also thinks that Bearson's drill is big as Papa's. Appears in "Visit the Dentist" *'Mr. Honeycomb', the principal of Bear Country School. He appears to be laid-back but in charge, since most of the discipline is set out by Mr. Grizzmeyer. *'Miss Honeybear', the kindergarten teacher at Bear Country School. Only appeared in one book. Berenstain Bears media Books Over 300 Berenstain Bears books have been published since the 1960s. Television The Berenstain Bears have appeared in three animated series. Original series The following NBC Holiday specials were produced in the late 1970s and early 1980s: * The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree (1979) (Also known as The Berenstain Bears' Christmas) * The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room (1979) * The Berenstain Bears and the Terrible Termite (1979) * The Berenstain Bears Life with Papa (1979) * The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers (1980) * The Berenstain Bears and the Disappearing Honey (1980) * The Berenstain Bears and The Substitute Teacher (1980) * The Berenstain Bears and the Truth (1980) * The Berenstain Bears Save the Bees (1980) * The Berentain Bears and the Forbiddon Cave (1980) * The Berenstain Bears Get in a Fight (1980) * The Berenstain Bears and the Bigpaw Problem (1980) * The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw (1980) (Also known as The Berenstain Bears' Thanksgiving) * The Berenstain Bears and the Cat's Meow (1980) * The Berenstain Bears and The Mystery Mansion (1981) * The Berenstain Bears In the Dark (1981) * The Berenstain Bears Ring the Bell (1981) * The Berenstain Bears and the Real Easter Egg (1981) (Also known as The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise) * The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Friends (1981) * The Berenstain Bears and the Coughing Catfish (1981) * The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday (1982) * The Berenstain Bears To the Rescue (1982) * The Berenstain Bears Shoot the Rapids (1982) * The Berenstain Bears and the Soccer Star (1982) * The Berenstain Bears Go Fly a Kite (1982) * The Berenstain Bears' Valentine Special (1982) (Also known as The Berenstain Bears' Comic Valentine A.K.A The Berenstain Bears and Cupid's Surprise) * The Berenstain Bears and the Neighborly Skunk (1982) * The Berenstain Bears No Girls Allowed (1983) * The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone (1983) * The Berenstain Bears Get Stage Fright (1983) * The Berenstain Bears Go Bonkers Over Honkers (1983) * The Berenstain Bears' Littlest Leaguer (1983) (Also known as The Berenstain Bears Play Ball) * The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare (1983) (Also known as The Berenstain Bears' Halloween) * The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners (1983) * The Berenstain Bears and the Wicked Weasel Spell (1983) * The Berenstain Bears Save the Farm (1983) 1985 series {C}{C This series was produced by Southern Star Productions in 1985, and featured two 11-minute stories per episode. While the first story to be shown was usually an adaptation of one of the books, a new story would make up the second half of the program. Some of these new stories prominently featured a villain in the form of The Evil Archweasle (McGreed), who was take the crystal potato from The Evil Lord Snooty (Raffish Ralph) who was taking out "to take over Bear Country lock, stock, and honeypot." Unlike most of the characters from the books, McGreed was created entirely for the cartoon, but managed to find his way into several novel books. 2003 series {C}{C The latter cartoon is currently running on PBS and internationally. It has since been released on DVD. The series also aired on PBS Kids with Seven Little Monsters from 2003–2004. Computer software They have appeared in a variety of software. Examples include: *''The Berenstain Bears' Camping Adventure, (1993, Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear) *The Berenstain Bears On Their Own, and You on Your Own, (CD-i) *''The Berenstain Bears: Learning At Home, Volume One, (1993, Compton's New Media, PC)Mobygames.com *''Extreme Sports with the Berenstain Bears'' (2000, Sound Source Interactive, Game Boy Color) *''Berenstain Bears and The Spooky Old Tree,(2005, Namco, Game Boy Advance) Feature film USA Today and The Hollywood Reporter report that Shawn Levy, director of both ''Night at the Museum movies, will direct the feature film adaptation of The Berenstain Bears as a hybrid of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and live action that will place the Berenstain family in the modern world. Release is planned for 2011.USAtoday.com Theatrical production Three Berenstain Bears books (The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers, The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food, and The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble at School.) have also been adapted in a single theatrical production called The Berenstain Bears in Family Matters, the Musical.''http://www.berenstainbearslive.com/ Critical response Over the years, the Berenstain Bears books have been the subject of much favorable comment from education professionals and the reading public. "The Berenstains have the extraordinary ability to communicate universal experiences and uplifting messages," -Laurie Norton Moffat, director of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass.; NY Times, November 30, 2005 "They were able to take the real issues of children's lives and make them entertaining and not preachy," -Ilene Abramson, director of children's services at the Los Angeles Public Library; LA Times, November 30, 2005 "Among the generation of children growing up in the '70s and early '80s, The Berenstain Bears books are spoken of like zen koans, or like biblical allegories." -Aemillia Scott, ''Flak Magazine Online, November 30, 2005 The Berenstain Bears books have drawn criticisms of Papa Bear portraying a bumbling, inept father figure."He is often wrong but never in doubt." Berenstain Bears website.Charles Krauthammer in The Washington Post 1989, referred to "the post-feminist Papa Bear" as "the Alan Alda of Grizzlies, a wimp so passive and fumbling he makes Dagwood Bumstead look like Batman."Mary Jo Kochakian, The Hartford Courant, 1989 asked "You have to wonder, doesn't Stan Berenstain have any self-respect?" As summarized in Stan Berenstain's November 30, 2005, obituary in the New York Times: "...In what might be seen as a tribute to the Berenstain Bears' ubiquity, critics for years have commented on the ursine clan's adherence to gender stereotypes, including Mama Bear's ever-so-brief fling at working outside the home, only to retreat to the cubs. Papa Bear's bumbling incompetence, compared with Mama Bear's warm, wise effectiveness, has spawned particular ire."Stan Berenstain obituary, November 30, 2005, New York Times. The authors have in the past stated that the parent bears merely reflected their own personalities. "Papa and Mama are roughly modeled after us," Stan Berenstain said in a 1991 Philadelphia Inquirer article. "I'm not quite as dumb as he seems to be sometimes, and Jan is not quite as wise and patient as Mama, but she is Mama." In 2000 Extreme Sports with the Berenstain Bears was released for the Game Boy Color. The game was rated "One of the worst games in the history of electronic games" by popular video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly. Notes and references External links * Co-creator of Berenstain Bears dies at 82 * [http://www.ytv.com/ Berenstain Bears launches on YTV, Fall 2006] * Official site * PBS Kids: Official Site * Bear Country Online Category:Books